The choir, under the baton of Ottery parish church organist Thomas J. Carnell, put on acclaimed performances every year until Carnell’s sudden death in 1896 while he was watching the Somerset vs. Australia cricket match at Taunton. The society struggled on for a further two years under a new leader, eventually winding up on New Year’s Eve 1898. It was revived in 1904, performing “St. Cecelia’s Day” in May 1905, and since then, even through two world wars, has delivered an unbroken 120-year programme of concerts.
The Ottery St. Mary Choral Society can trace its formation back to 1883. It gave its very first concert in April 1884, singing “Mozart’s Twelfth Mass” – a piece now acknowledged not to be by Mozart at all, and which has fallen from the height of popularity it enjoyed in the Victorian era. It performed the very first concert in the newly-opened Institute Hall in Ottery, in 1897.
In 1999, a century after the first Ottery Choral Society wound up, the present Society faced a crisis. It was down to 28 members, of which only 3 were male voices, and was close to disbanding. A concerted rescue effort was mounted by our musical director Malcolm Matthews and the choir committee, led by Kyle Hayes, and the choir was brought back from the brink. We’re still going strong today. But why did they put so much effort into this? Why was this so important? Why do we sing?
We sing to share our feelings, to show solidarity, to soothe, or just entertain. Songs – whether choral pieces or top 40 hit songs – express our feelings. What it’s like to be in love. Our greatest hopes and deepest fears. Singing the same thing with a group of people at the same time is a basic human instinct. We do it at stadium concerts, school halls, churches and football grounds. We sing together to celebrate, to grieve, to inspire, to tell stories, and to make ourselves happy. Choral music in particular grants us permission, singers and audience alike, to express and share those emotions.
What makes our members return every season to rehearse our programme? A short survey of our choir members showed it is as much to do with the sense of shared achievement and lasting friendship as it is to sing the music. We prize the satisfaction of performing challenging pieces, in a friendly and supportive learning environment. Many of our members are not confident music readers, so it is the challenge of overcoming that steep learning curve they find most satisfying. But far and away the Number One reason we return every year, some for many decades, is the friendly and positive atmosphere of our choir.
We are a non-auditioning community choir with a shared love of choral music. We exist for the enjoyment that singing together brings us, as well of course to entertain our audiences. Our members come from Ottery and the surrounding towns and villages. For 120 years we have given a good go at singing some of the most beautiful choral music in the world. What does the future hold? We will keep singing this glorious music for as long as there’s an audience who wants to hear it and members to sing it. Our next season’s programme will be announced shortly; if you would like to be a part of it, you would be made very welcome. Email [email protected] for more information.